A 19 year old who is keen in creating new, exciting food

August 4, 2017

Easy Leftovers Lasagne

A bit of a different recipe this time – less original in the sense that there are no strange ingredients in here, but more so in the sense that I’ve taken the traditional lasagne recipe and simplified it so that you can cook it super quick. It is definitely not competition with the original dish, but it is an absolute winner when it can be made in under an hour! What’s more, it is a perfect way to use up leftover vegetables – you can put in whatever you like, from courgette to mushrooms to carrot! This one features carrots, peppers and spinach.

I’m sorry about yet another period of inactivity – who would have thought holidays were so jam-packed full of things to do! Hopefully you like this recipe, and maybe I’ll get around to making another recipe at least sometime soon…

Ingredients:

1 clove of garlic

1 green pepper

3-4 carrots

1 red onion

1 pack of beef mince (I used steak mince)

1 can of chopped tomatoes

1tsp balsamic vinegar

1tsp sugar

25g butter

2-3tbsp plain flour

200ml milk

(Lots of) Cheese – I used cheddar, but mozzarella and parmesan is probably best!

a handful of spinach

1tsp nutmeg

8-10 dried lasagne sheets

Basil, to garnish

Method:

Chop all the vegetables and preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan)

In a large saucepan (at a medium heat), add the garlic to 1tbsp oil

Add the red onion and stir for a couple of minutes

Add the carrot and pepper, and cook for around 4-5 minutes

Add the beef mince, along with salt and pepper to season

Brown the mince (this should take around 5 minutes)

Add the chopped tomatoes, sugar and balsamic vinegar

Turn off the heat and leave to one side

In a small saucepan, melt the butter and then add the flour

Whisk until a ball is formed

Add the milk in small parts, whisking thoroughly

Mix in around 1/3 of the cheese, along with the nutmeg

Allow to thicken, then turn off the heat and add the spinach

Start to layer the lasagne! Start with the tomato sauce, then lasagne sheets, then white sauce – repeat until all the sauce is used up

Top with cheese and basil

Put in the oven for around 25-30 minutes

Serve and enjoy!

Tips:

For an extra rich tomato sauce, add a splash of red wine in stage 7

Don’t mess up like me and end up with lasagne sheets on the top of the lasagne – this means it will crisp up and likely burn!

As soon as the white sauce starts to thicken, turn the heat off! It thickens very fast, and you don’t want it to become too thick!

I use mozzarella slices on each layer. The top layer slices, plus shredded mozzarella.
Love my mozzarella.
My lasagna is usually three (3) layers.
A little secret on the layers my slices don’t go to the end of the pan, so I use shredded to make sure the sides are covered. 💃